Strange Boutique, the USA-based legendary ethereal/gothic rock band, will perform live on 12 July at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C., to celebrate its recently released new album, Let The Lonely Heart Sing. The show will also feature Talking To Shadows and DJ Sara Vox. 

Let The Lonely Heart Sing marks Strange Boutique's first new album in 31 years. The band, known for its "eclectic brand of powerful, guitar-driven ethereal pop, with a touch of world music influence and mystical imagination", was a fixture of the D.C. club scene from 1987-1993. Its shows were described as "a veritable gathering of DC's misfits: freaks, goths, punks, scenesters and dreamers".

Strange Boutique's return was sparked by the tragic loss of its seminal guitarist Fred "Freak" Smith in 2017. Singer Monica Richards and bassist Steve Willett began discussing a reunion show in his honour. In 2019, with Dennis Kane filling in on guitar, the band reunited for a sold-out show at DC9 in Washington, D.C., celebrating Fred's life and breathing new life into their classic songs. The warm reception and the joy of playing together led to the decision to write new material.

The new album, Let The Lonely Heart Sing, is a captivating collection of original guitar-driven songs that explore themes of love and loss, childlike wonder, echoes from the past, and hope for the future. The album showcases the band's growth while retaining its unique gothic/darkwave sound. It features lavish instrumentation, rich countermelodies, profound lyrics, Dennis Kane's shimmering guitars, Monica Richards' ethereal vocals, and Steve Willett's chorus-drenched bass, all layered over organic rhythms. The album also includes a live string quartet on three tracks.

The album cover features a cicada, which Monica Richards explains is a "mystical array surrounding a cicada," symbolising "resurrection and transformation due to its fascinating life cycle". The title Let The Lonely Heart Sing is a lyric from one of the band's songs and is seen by Monica Richards and Steve Willett as the "perfect symbol for a new album cover to show that Strange Boutique is back!" Link